


Overhaul

by FrankieFandom



Category: Chicago Fire
Genre: Angst, Blood Loss, Drama, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Eventual Fluff, Hospitals, Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Major Character Injury, Medical Procedures, hurt!Casey
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-22
Updated: 2016-09-25
Packaged: 2018-08-16 15:26:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8107723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FrankieFandom/pseuds/FrankieFandom
Summary: Nothing is ever simple for Casey and Severide!





	1. Mundane Work

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Established Sevasey relationship. Hallie never existed, Dawson may exist but she is somewhere far, far, far away from Casey and the two will never meet.

The three-story house fire was out. The victims were on their way to the hospital. Squad 3 were packing up their rig. The engine crew were just exiting the building. The sun had risen and coloured the sky in shades of orange and red.

Casey walked up to Severide, full turnout gear still on, hair jutting up at all angles, soot and sweat covered his face. "I'll have my guys do overhaul then?" he questioned, his tone was less than impressed but his expression was somewhat amused at Severide's attempt to get away from the scene.

Severide smiled. "Thanks, Casey," he mocked. Overhaul was not a glamourous job. The adrenaline of rescuing the victims trapped in the fire was gone, the excitement of battling the fire was diminished but the job was not over, now that the fire was out there was mundane work to be done. They needed to open walls, ceilings, voids and partitions to check for any residual fire. It was backbreaking and tedious.

He shook his head in frustration, although his eyes told a different story as he said, "You owe me." Severide brushed passed him intentionally after he shut one of the compartment doors to the Squad rig. "Tonight, my place," he whispered as Severide passed.

"You are demanding." Severide turned and smirked.

"You wanna do overhaul?" he questioned with a smile.

Severide grinned. "Oh, don't worry, I'll do some overhaul tonight," he said in a hushed tone as Mills approached them.

"Herrmann stick with Mills, start on the ground floor," Casey spoke loudly, getting the attention of his men, "Cruz you're with me, we'll start on the second floor."

"And squad gets away once again..." Otis commented offhandedly, "And what about eng…"

"We have a candidate to train," Casey pointed out, "Mills needs to get as much experience under his belt as possible."

Casey glanced at the squad rig leaving the scene as he and Cruz walked up a few steps to the house, Severide gave him a quick wave, Casey shook his head at the gesture, put his helmet on and entered the building behind Cruz. Mills and Herrmann were already inside going over the ground floor. The stairs creaked as he followed Cruz to the top of the house. The whole place was black and damp with water. They opened up the walls and ceilings, checking for any remaining fire, it was hot and exhausting work, Casey could feel beads are sweat dripping steadily down from underneath his helmet, his hands were moist within his gloves and he knew his polo shirt would be soaked through. He couldn't wait to get back and step under the cold stream of water of the shower, at least they'd be getting overtime pay for this and he now had something to look forward to tonight instead of spending the night alone in front of the TV.

 _"Lieutenant,"_ Herrmann began through the radio. _"Definitely an electrical fire, the amount of plugs, sockets and extension cords here is ridiculous. We're going down to the basement now."_

"Copy that," he replied to Herrmann. "Cruz, let's go down."  
  
They went down to the first floor, continuously opening up sections of burnt wall and ceiling. In total it took a couple of hours but eventually they completed the overhaul. Herrmann and Mills left the building first, pleased to take off their turnout jackets, the heat in the middle of August was unforgiving. Casey and Cruz began their decent to the ground floor; the whole building had been creaking the entire time so they took care on the stairs.

Casey followed Cruz as he led the way down the stairs, looking down at their footing as they went. Cruz stepped down, the step groaned ominously so he quickly moved down to the next. His boot went straight through, Casey quickly took hold of him but the momentum had already begun and the old wooden steps splintered around them. The stairs crumpled sending the two of them crashing down from the first floor to the basement.

To cushion his fall Casey had instinctively put his arms out, but it did nothing to protect him as the two of them crashed through the ground floor and into the small basement. He only lost consciousness momentarily. Once the initial shock of plummeting down one and a half storeys diminished he called out for Cruz, who had only been inches away from him when they initially fell through the stairs, but the debris was now scattered around him and he couldn't make much out in the darkness of the basement.

"Cruz?" he called out, "Cruz? You hear me?"

There was no sound other than a few thumps as a few more small pieces of wooden debris fell down into the room. Casey pushed himself onto his elbows, there was a sharp pain but it only lasted momentarily, he caught a glimpse of reflective yellow in the small glimmer of light that appeared from the hole above them, the hole that had previously been part of the ground floor.

 _"Casey? Cruz? Do you copy?"_ his radio buzzed into action, it was Herrmann, he was speaking frantically, Casey wondered if he'd been calling through to them previously but he'd been too preoccupied to notice.

"We're here, we need an ambulance, Cruz is unconscious," Casey responded. "Don't enter, I don't know how stable the building is now. The stairs gave way, we've ended up in the basement. Put a ladder down through the north-west window."

 _"Copy that, Lieutenant,"_ Herrmann replied.

Casey began to make his way over to Cruz's inert form, he didn't stand or even crawl, he wanted to disturb the area as little as possible, there was so much debris scattered about so he pulled himself forwards with his arms.

"Cruz can… argh!" he yelled, the sharp pain in his abdomen increased tenfold, he took some deep steadying breaths before calling out again, "Cruz?" He continued to move, trying to ignore the pain as he got closer to his fallen firefighter.

"Casey?" Cruz's voice was quiet when he woke. It took a moment to realise what had happened but then it all flooded back to him, the stairs, the step, the loud crash that had emanated around them when they fell through to the basement. He fumbled and grabbed the flashlight that was on his turnout jacket, he switched it on and the room lit up a little so he could get his bearings.

"Don't move," Casey instructed, "You've been out for a few minutes." He was sat up tentatively now he'd reached Cruz.

"I… I think I'm ok," he stuttered, "I've just got a massive headache, how about you?"

"Erm…" Casey frowned, suddenly forgetting his words, he'd had forgotten what had happened if it were for all the splintered pieces of wood and debris around them. "Erm…"

"Lieutenant!" Herrmann called through the small window as he, Mills, Mouch and Otis slid the ladder inside.

"Casey?" Cruz's voice was stronger now and laced with concern. Herrmann's concern grew as well, he could see little through the window and his lieutenant hadn't responded.

"Erm… There's an ambulance on the way..." He struggled to think, to find his words, everything felt slow and lethargic. "We... we need to get out of here, you need to get checked out, you're hurt…"

"I think you're really hurt," Cruz stated, his eyes had shot open, he was now shining his flashlight just behind Casey.

"No I was barely…" he frowned, what was Cruz looking at? He was about to turn and look but he heard his name being called.

"Casey?" it was Herrmann.

"We're… erm… we're on our way," he stuttered.

"Don't move, Casey," Cruz instructed. His torch light had caught a glimpse of the thick red blood coating a large splinter of wood. Casey's adrenaline was obviously masking any injuries and he wanted it to remain that way. Cruz moved the beam of the light to Casey's chest. "Oh God…" the words slipped out his mouth before he could stop them.

Casey frowned and slowly looked down; he took a sharp intake of breath at the sight he discovered. The whole of his lower torso was covered in blood; it was soaking through his turnout jacket and spreading quickly and thickly out of the tear towards his left hand side. The pain then arrived in full force. He quickly put his right hand over the rip in his jacket and pressed down, the pain increased and his breaths hitched but he remained calm, they needed to get out of here, Cruz needed to get his head checked out.

"I'm ok," he said through gritted teeth. "We need to get out of here." He staggered over to the ladder with Cruz's support.

"Mills! Grab the first aid kit!" Cruz yelled as he helped Casey up the ladder. Fortunately it was a small basement, they didn't have a long way to climb, but the six steps Casey took were taken shakily with bated breath. Herrmann helped him off the ladder and immediately put his arm under his and gently lay him down on the ground. Otis gave Cruz a steadying hand and sat him down on the ground, insistent that he waited to get checked over by the paramedics rather than rush back to Casey's side.

Mills flung himself down next to Casey on the grass; he quickly grabbed some gauze from the first aid kit and pressed it down on the thick blood oozing from Casey's abdomen. "Herrmann, his jacket and top…"

"I got it." Herrmann grabbed the scissors from the kit. The sirens from the ambulance could be heard in the distance.

Casey was looking blearily up at Mills as they opened up his turnout coat and cut away his polo top. "You're not smiling," he slurred.

"Give me more gauze," Mills called out for as he kept pressure on the wound. Herrmann placed the fresh white gauze down and Mills took hold of it over the wound, it quickly soaked with blood.

"Lieutenant?" Herrmann questioned, Casey's eyes were flickering closed, he needed to stay awake.

"Mmm..." he mumbled tiredly, his whole body felt weak and battered. There were a few small grazes adorning his face that must have occurred when the stairs splintered, Cruz's face had the same cuts present.

"The ambulance will be here soon, you just need to stay awake, can you do that for me?" Herrmann spoke calmly despite the worry he felt.

"Mmm… hurts…" he slurred, his grip on reality fading fast.

Herrmann's mouth opened at his admission, Casey would never admit to pain, the blood loss was effecting his judgement, it had brought down his walls, he now had no energy to shield his thoughts and feelings from the world.

Casey's eyes shot open. "Cruz?" he questioned quickly. "His head, he needs to get checked out, we need an ambulance."

"It's on its way, Lieutenant," Herrmann informed him, "Listen, you can hear it."

"Good," he slurred, "Why're y'all standin' around?"

The ambulance pulled up, the paramedics jumped out and rushed over to Casey with a backboard and first aid kit.

"Think a wooden splinter went straight into his abdomen when he fell into the basement," Cruz explained from the distance, Otis had still not let him near Casey, "It must have been at least two inches…"

"You took it out?" one of the paramedics asked as he knelt down next to Mills, ready to inspect the wound.

Cruz shook his head. "It just came out, I don't think he realised it was there before he moved…" he trailed off as the paramedics removed the blood soaked gauze pads and replaced it with fresh, this time the redness didn't spread quite so fast. The gauze was taped on, and a cannula was inserted into the back of his right hand so they could quickly get some fluids into him to temporarily counteract the blood loss. There was blood smudged all over Casey's chest now, it had even pooled just above the waistband of his turnout trousers.

Casey was still hanging onto consciousness when they carefully moved him onto his side and slipped the backboard below him, he let out a sharp groan as he was moved back down onto it.

"You're all right, Casey, you're going to be ok," Herrmann reassured him as the he was lifted up off the ground. "Cruz, you better go with them," he said before turning to the paramedics, "He fell with him and was knocked out for a few minutes."

Casey was taken into the back of the ambulance, Cruz followed him in, the doors were slammed shut, the sirens were turned back on and it sped away from the scene. Herrmann and the others were left looking at the pool of blood that had appeared on the patch of grass their lieutenant had been lying on.


	2. Change of Plan

Severide was sitting in the apartment he shared with Shay. They'd not long been home from shift, he was flicking through recommended restaurants on his iPad, or would Casey just rather go to a bar? He wondered, nothing fancy, just a typical night out. His intention was to turn up at his house tonight and take him out, the two of them hadn't been out without anyone for weeks, they'd then spend the night together but his plans changed the second he received a phone call from Boden.

 _"Casey and Cruz are on their way to Lakeshore,"_ the chief explained over the phone, he'd just been informed of the situation and immediately jumped into the battalion car. _"Truck is finishing up at the scene then heading over, I'm on my way now, I'll keep you…"_

"I'll meet you there," Severide said quickly before ending the call. He stood up to go and grab his car keys when the reality hit him – Casey was on his way to the hospital – his heart dropped. What had even happened? He'd waved goodbye to him at the scene, it was the last image he had in his head, Casey had been smiling, shaking his head at him as he'd walked up the steps into the house, what had gone wrong? Images of fire emerging out of the walls as Casey opened them, hot flashes falling from the ceiling, flames dancing around him. Severide couldn't shake the pictures from his mind, he felt weak and nauseous as he stood in the middle of the apartment.

"Kelly?" Shay had chosen that exact moment to step out of her bedroom, she was dressed for a run but when she saw the look on Severide's face she knew immediately something had happened.

"Casey's on his way to the hospital," he stated in shock. "… I don't know what happened… He's hurt…"

"Let's go and find out then," Shay responded once the initial surprise had worn off, on their way back from the firehouse Severide had told her that he'd remained at the scene to overhaul, that Severide had promised him a good time tonight in exchange for the tedious job. "I'm sure he'll be fine, Kelly, he's as stubborn as you."

In the back of the ambulance Casey was delirious and in pain, his whole body was trembling, he was in hypovolemic shock. "He's hypotensive," the paramedic stated, he squeezed the IV bag hoping to increase the flow but Casey was losing more fluids than he was gaining. "BP's still dropping, what's our ETA?"

"Three minutes," the paramedic driving called back.

"Dad..." Cruz heard Casey mumble.

"You're in the back of the ambo, Lieutenant," he explained, his head was throbbing fiercely now.

"Where's mom..." Casey muttered, "She wouldn't… Dad..."

"Casey? Matt?" Cruz called, hoping to bring him back to reality. Although he wasn't sure that was the nicest thing to do because reality meant pain but seeing his lieutenant delirious like this was hard to watch.

"Cruz..." Casey's eyes met his.

"Yeah, we're on our way to the hospital," he explained.

"I know… it's cold…" Casey slurred, "Do you believe them?"

"What?" Cruz questioned, confused at what Casey was asking him.

"Mom…" he frowned, "She wouldn't… she wouldn't do that… right?"

"Yeah, Lieutenant, she wouldn't do that," Cruz replied despite his overwhelming concern.

"Cruz?" he questioned again, he was struggling to stay awake, struggling to speak, struggling to understand and remember what had happened. "Sev's ok?"

"He's fine," Cruz said as the ambulance pulled up at the hospital.

"I need you to tell him…" but he trailed off as the back of the ambulance doors were pushed open by the paramedic.

"Matt Casey; 33 year old male, fell nearly two-storeys, penetrating abdomen wound, it's been packed, hemodynamically unstable, we pushed fluids and five of morphine," the paramedic called out as the trauma team took over.

"Can you hear me?" a nurse bent over him as the rest of the trauma team got to work, Casey's eyes met hers. "Can you tell me your name?"

"Matt..." he spoke quietly, the oxygen masked further obscured his voice but the doctor heard him.

"Good, we're going to take good care of you, Matt." She smiled down at him.

"Sev…" he began but his grip on consciousness finally slipped.

The monitors alerted them of Casey's plummeting blood pressure. They intubated him and rushed him to the operating room.

Severide and Shay arrived in the ER just behind Boden. They joined him at the reception area. "We're looking for two firefighters. Joe Cruz, Matt Casey," Boden asked hurriedly; he couldn't hide the worry from his tone.

"Joe Cruz is having some x-rays done and Matt Casey has just gone into surgery," the lady at the desk explained as she looked at the computer.

"Surgery?" Severide questioned.

"Emergency laparotomy," she explained. "If you take a seat in the waiting room on the first floor and doctor will come and give you news when they can."

"Shay?" his voice broke a little as he turned to face her, looking for an explanation, looking for reassurance.

"It just means they're opening up his abdomen," Shay told him, "It could be for…"

"Herrmann?" Boden spotted the rest of Truck 81 as the entered through the automatic doors.

"How are they?" Herrmann asked as he, Mouch, Mills and Otis reached the desk.

"We don't know really know anything, Casey's in surgery, Cruz is getting checked out," Shay supplied.

"What happened?" Severide demanded. The words were harsh, laced with emotion.

"Stairs gave away; they fell through to the basement… I don't know if Casey landed on it or…" Herrmann frowned.

"Landed on what?" he almost screeched, his concern for Casey only growing more and more by the second.

"A piece of wood, he was bleeding out, there was a lot of blood…" Herrmann trailed off, the image of the pool of blood left behind by Casey was at the forefront of his mind.

Severide had paled significantly, he ran a hand nervously through his hair, it felt like his heart was going to burst out his chest.

"And Cruz?" Shay questioned, Severide wasn't thinking about anything or anyone else except for Casey right now.

"He was unconscious for a few minutes, he seemed fine though, and he said he felt fine too," Herrmann explained.

"Did Casey say anything?" Severide asked suddenly.

"Erm…" Herrmann hesitated, the only thing that came to mind was how Casey had admitted to being in pain. "No, not really, he was pretty out of it."

"We're in the way here, let's go up to the waiting room," Boden suggested, the six of them were crowding the emergency room desk.

In surgery Casey's vitals were low but holding steady. He was lying flat on the table with his arms extended, his entire chest, abdomen and pelvis had been prepped and draped ad there were warming devices underneath his upper and lower extremities. He was receiving warm fluid and blood, he'd already lost a significant amount of blood by the time he'd arrived at the ER.

The surgeon made a midline incision, they needed to find the source of the bleed and hopefully repair any damage before Casey lost any more blood, even though he was receiving blood and fluid his BP was still low and his body was oxygenating poorly. The damage to his small intestine was clear when they opened him up, it wouldn't be repairable with just sutures, it hadn't just torn; it had been ripped open. It wasn't a clean cut but it also wasn't the source of the main bleed so the surgeon left his fellow to run the rest of his bowel and repair the damage whilst he continued to check every organ.

It was soon clear to them that the wood had shot straight through Casey's small intestine, it had travelled into his abdomen at upwards angle, slicing through his intestine and ending up by his left kidney, lacerating the organ and cutting through his renal artery. There were two thin splinters of wood still in his abdominal cavity. The surgeon removed them and placed them in a small basin. He repaired the renal artery and Casey's vitals remained steady, he decided they could continue their repair rather than temporarily close him up now and bring him back in for another surgery later, his body was coping with the stress it was under so it wasn't necessary.

Shay found Severide away from the others, pacing up down at the end of one of the long corridors by the waiting room. "You're blaming yourself."

He stopped. "No, I'm not," he stated, "I'm not blaming myself… I mean I could have done the overhaul… I shouldn't have…"

"You didn't know something was going to happen," she replied.

"No, but I should have done it, I didn't exactly give him a choice," he said, he hadn't even asked Casey, he'd just told his crew to start packing up their rig, of course Casey wouldn't object to staying at the scene to overhaul, especially once Severide had hinted that he'd pay him back when they were alone together.

"It doesn't matter how it happened," she insisted.

"What?" he questioned, he'd gotten Casey into this mess, it could have been him lying on the operating table instead of Casey if he hadn't been so coy with him.

"I mean, he could have got in a car accident on his way home if you stayed at the scene and he didn't, accidents happen, that's all it was, he didn't get hurt because you bribed him with sex," she smiled lightly. "He's not going to blame you, he loves you."

"What if he…" he began.

"He is not going to die, Kelly, look at me." She leant in closer to him, she could see the dry tear tracks that ran down his cheeks, his eyes were still watery, like any moment the dam would burst again and more tears would make there down his face. "He is going to be ok. You have to believe that. Good thoughts, that's all you should be sending him right now."

Cruz had checked out fine and wouldn't even need to be admitted, he had a minor concussion so he joined the others as they waited anxiously for news on Casey. It seemed to take an age for the doctor to appear and give them any information, when he did Severide and Shay were back with everyone else in the waiting room.

"Matt Casey's friends and family?" the doctor questioned when he walked up to the firefighters.

Severide stood up immediately, dropping Shay's comforting hold from his hand, "How is he?"

"It was a nasty wound but the surgery went well, he's being taken to recovery, are his family here?" he looked around.

"I'm his… I'm listed as his next of kin," Severide replied, he stepped closer to the doctor. "What's the damage? I don't even really know what happened… he fell?"

"He sustained only minor injuries from the fall itself but a piece of wood penetrated his abdominal cavity," the doctor explained, "There was extensive bleeding so we performed a laparotomy to find the source. His bowel had been torn so we had to remove just under two inches of his small intestine…"

"Remove? What does that…" Severide started.

"We repaired his small intestine but the contents of his bowl had already entered his abdominal cavity so he's at a high risk for sepsis. The blood loss was caused by the damage done to his kidney and renal artery, he's still having blood transfusions to replace the loss," the doctor continued to explained, Severide expected him to tell them that they'd had to remove the kidney as well as a small section of his intestine but thankfully he didn't. "I realise this is a lot to take in but you'll be able to see him briefly when he's moved to the ICU."

"He's going to be ok?" he asked, the damage sounded extensive

"As long as there are no complications," the doctor replied, "We're giving him intravenous antibiotics to combat infection but like I said there's a risk he'll become septic because of the injuries he sustained."

"Is that likely?" he questioned.

"We're taking the best care to make sure no complications happen," the doctor explained. "Someone will come and find you when he's moved out of recovery, it'll be a few hours."

A few hours went by, they went by slowly, but soon Severide was sitting by Casey's side in the ICU. The first thing he noted was how pale he looked, a stark contrast to the red blood that was being transfused into his body. There were tubes and wires all over the place, ECG wires, a central line, arterial line, and a catheter. They weren't at all comforting. However, the constant regular beep coming from the heart monitor was comforting; Casey was alive. He was only allowed ten minutes with him, ten minutes was nothing, he felt as if he'd spent five minutes just surveying the scene in front of him. He squeezed Casey's hand, told him that everything was going to be ok, that he would be here every second he was allowed, that he would be camping out in the waiting room. All too soon the nurse came over, he stood up and took Casey's cheek in his hand, careful of the oxygen mask, and he gently kissed him on the forehead before he was escorted away.


	3. Bath Time

Over the next twenty-four hours Casey remained in critical condition. When he woke with awareness for the first time he realised he was no longer cold. He felt safe, wrapped up and warm. His head felt incredibly heavy but he could feel little else, there was no pain.

"Doctor." The nurse nearby indicated Casey's waking form and the doctor stepped over to his bedside.

"Hi there, can you tell me your full name?" the doctor asked, little did Casey know he'd been asked this question several times since he had first woken up, he'd answered too but he had absolutely no memory of ever having been awake in this room before.

"Matt Casey..." he replied quietly.

"Do you know where you are, Matt?" the doctor continued questioning him. He'd lost more than fifty percent of his blood volume but the body was clever, it protected the brain to keep it oxygenated, but there was always a risk so Casey's neurological status had been continually checked.

Casey's eyes searched the room and he shook his head ever so slightly.

"You're in hospital, do you remember what happened?" the doctor asked.

He remembered falling, he remembered Cruz, he remembered a lot of blood, too much blood. "Accident..." he muttered, "Stairs… Cruz?"

"The firefighter you came in with? He's fine, he wasn't admitted."

"Severide?" Casey questioned. He wasn't one to express a need for affection, for comfort, but he barely understood what had happened to him, he was in a cocoon of heavy hitting drugs, he felt weak and vulnerable and he didn't want to be weak and vulnerable in front of anyone else but Severide. He could be himself in front of him, he didn't have to put up walls and pretend he wasn't confused, or worried, or scared.

"Your friend's in the waiting area, he hasn't left since you brought in, get some rest," the doctor replied and Casey let his eyes shut.

He woke up a few hours later, it took a few moments but he could recall where he was and what had happened. There was someone next to him. "Sev?" he questioned but it wasn't him, there was a nurse by his side making a note of his vitals. She informed him that visiting hours were soon, he smiled as he fell back to sleep.

Severide was soon sitting alone with Casey in the ICU, there were several other beds in the room and a doctor was constantly manning the area. He held Casey's hand, it was warmer than before. The oxygen mask had been removed and replaced with a nasal cannula. Casey lay under a blue blanket and a white sheet. He was no longer receiving blood but he was still on IV fluids and he was still on a high dosage of pain relief.

It had nearly been thirty-six hours since Casey's surgery, and although the doctor had informed him that Casey had woken Severide had yet to see him conscious until now. He smiled as he watched Casey's eyes flicker open and close. "Case? Matt?"

"Sev…" Casey slurred, he was looking up at him through half lidded eyes, he felt no more aware than when he'd previously woken up and found himself lying in the hospital bed.

"Yeah, I'm here," Severide said reassuringly

"Asked for you..." he mumbled but Severide barely heard a word, "You came..."

"Huh?" Severide frowned. "Are you in pain?"

But Casey's eyes drifted back shut.

Casey woke again, he was much more aware of his surroundings, the back of his hand demanded to be itched where the IV port pinched but he had no energy to move, the sheets that covered him were scratchy, there were annoying beeps and buzzes all around him, the air felt cold and smelt sterile. He forced his eyes open and the bright world was revealed.

"Kelly." He recognised Shay's voice but he could not see her, he was lying on his back, eyes facing the white ceiling.

"Matty?" Severide leant over and looked down in Casey's sleepy eyes but something was wrong, Casey was frowning now, he was worried, he was aware and he was worried. "Are you in pain? What's wrong?"

"I can't feel my legs..." his voice was barely above the sound of a whisper.

"What?" Severide questioned suddenly. "Shay?"

"It's fine," Shay was quick to reassure them both. "He's had an epidural," she explained to Severide before she spoke softly to Casey. "Matt, it's ok, it's the pain relief they're still giving you, it's normal, don't worry."

"Normal?" he repeated.

"Yeah, so don't worry," Shay smiled down at him, "The doctor spoke to you earlier, do you remember?"

The doctor had only spoken to Casey an hour ago, he'd explained his injuries but Shay and Severide noticed how the drugs and exhaustion had made it difficult for him to concentrate.

"Erm…" he thought for a moment, how could thinking suddenly be such a hard task, he wondered, "Erm… yeah I think so… something about my kidney and bleeding… I'm all right?"

"Yeah, Case, you're fine, you're going to be ok. Now, get some rest, I'm on shift tomorrow but I'll come by during visiting hours if we're not on call." Severide squeezed his hand. "All the guys want to see you, I said they'd have to wait until you're out of the ICU. I'm selfish, I know, but I want you all to myself for now." They had decided to keep their relationship private at work, they didn't want their leadership or decisions questioned, they may not work on the same rig but they were officers in the same house on the same shift pattern. Although, of course, Shay had known from day one.

Casey smiled tiredly, it was nice to be wanted, he copied Severide's gesture and squeezed his hand. back "Tell them I'm fine."

"Already have," he smiled, "Now, get some rest." He leant over and kissed him lightly on the lips.

Severide had been right; the next time Casey woke up he was alone. He drifted in and out of consciousness throughout the day. The staff monitored his vitals and urinary output, the damage to his kidney meant it was essential to monitor his fluid intake and output. His incision line was checked for infection and regularly cleaned, he was bathed and the nurses made sure there would be no opportunity for pressure sores to develop.

The next day Casey found himself looking up at Severide's face, wishing he could erase the worry that lay there, but he'd been running a high temperature for the last twelve hours and he was too exhausted to speak.

His fever broke overnight, the antibiotics had done their job, his blood pressure had been stable for twenty-four hours and his oxygen stats were at a hundred percent with no artificial aid. He was moved out of the ICU and into a private room. The privacy was a welcome change especially now he was lucid for longer periods of time.

Severide was by his side the first time he saw the incision line. He looked straight at Severide and held his hand lightly as the nurse unfastened the front of his gown and removed the large white gauze. Casey watched Severide's expression as the wound was revealed, he didn't look shocked or horrified but Casey was still worried to move his eyes from Severide's to look down at his torso. He had seen how large the gauze pad was and the doctor had explained the procedure they'd performed and the injuries he'd sustained. Severide said nothing, he just nodded reassuringly, the nurse explained that the incision line looked good, there were no signs of infection, and eventually Casey tore his eyes away from Severide and looked down and his hand was squeezed comfortingly.

Later that day Casey got out of bed for the first time in three days, he was exhausted before he even stood up but Severide was with him the entire time. He would be discharged from the hospital once he was drinking and eating. Because of the resection to his small intestine he wouldn't be able to eat solid food for a week and then it would just be low fibre foods for a short time. His doctor informed him that it would take about three weeks until he began eating as normal, but even then he would still need to have food little and often, rather than three meals throughout the day.

Severide surprised Casey one evening and snuck into his hospital room even though visiting hours had ended several hours ago. He claimed he'd bribed the staff but he'd actually spoken to Casey's doctor whilst he'd been visiting during the day. Being stuck in hospital had rapidly decreased Casey's mood, his appetite was non-existent and he'd even been snippy with a nurse who had only come to check his vitals and incision line. The pain didn't help, he was being giving painkillers but it still hurt every time he coughed, laughed or even moved too suddenly and the fact that the staff had to constantly monitor his bodies output was more than embarrassing. He wanted to be at home, he felt exposed at the hospital. So the doctor allowed Severide to stay the night to try and improve his mood.

Casey smiled as Severide joined him on the bed. Severide was concerned that he was in pain from the position they were now in, but Casey didn't care he was just happy to be lying next to him after days of sleeping alone.

In the morning Casey woke up to find Shay sitting at the end of the bed, he turned carefully to face Severide who was still fast asleep. "He's been snoring like a log for the last half hour, I don't know how you sleep with him," she grinned.

"I've never noticed," he replied tiredly and he let his eyes drift shut.

"Morning you two," she spoke softly as Severide started to stir and Casey opened his eyes again. They both had bed hair and Shay had already snapped a couple of photos of the two of them lying side by side, Casey with a pillow placed against his abdomen to help him feel comfortable on his side.

Severide got up and went for coffee before the doctor came in during his rounds and after he left Casey was left alone with Shay. "How'd you get in? Did you bribe the nurses too?" he asked sloppily, he'd just been given some painkillers and they made him incredibly woozy since he wasn't eating proper food.

"Uniform helps," Shay smiled.

"Sev's on shift today?" he frowned.

"No, he's all yours, I'm just picking up some extra hours," she explained.

"Oh good… I mean, good that... erm… I just keep losing track of what day it is..."

"I'm not surprised," she replied.

After seven days in the hospital Casey was discharged with strict aftercare instructions, a supply of painkillers and antibiotics and he had been given appointment to have the staples taken out in three days. Severide drove him home, Shay had cleaned his house and stocked up the fridge with food he could eat. He tired easily and by the time they arrived at his house all he wanted to do was get into bed, Severide made sure he ate, drank and took his pills before he fell asleep. They spent the day together in bed, it wasn't much but he was happy just lying bed with him because it felt amazing to be home after a week in hospital.

"Hey, sleepy," Severide smiled as Casey opened his eyes. "How are you feeling?" Casey had been drifting in and out of sleep since he'd brought him home that morning.

"Sore," he muttered, he frowned tiredly, "And it's probably weird but I really don't want to move…"

"You're in pain?" Severide sat up immediately ready to fetch the painkillers.

"No, not really, I'm…" he hesitated, "I'm scared that if I move everything will just fall out."

"Oh," Severide frowned.

"Yeah… I said it was probably weird," he slurred.

"It is weird," Severide smiled at him. "Although I've not been gutted like a fish before so I wouldn't know."

"Hey… I wasn't gutted like fish," he argued tiredly, "I still have all my organs."

"You're missing two inches of intestine."

"I have plenty more inches of intestine," he said sloppily, grinning. He let his eyes close, he could feel Severide's steady breath on his forehead, it was comforting, and the hand that crept out from under the covers was even more comforting as it began to trace patterns on the back of his own hand.

Severide let go of Casey's hand and move to his hair, he loved to run his fingers through the blond strands, he smiled. "Your hair really needs washing."

"I know… I'd really love a nice hot bath right now and I don't even like baths…" he mumbled as he drifted back to sleep. The next time he woke the room smelt heavenly, he cracked open an eye, the curtains were drawn and the lights were dimmed. He looked around to discover the room was dotted with red and orange candles, the shadows from the flames flickered on the walls and furniture.

"Hey." Severide stepped out the bathroom with a smile across his face. "Romantic meal for two." He indicated to the bedside table on Casey's right.

He turned and looked at the two Ensure cartons next to one of the candles. "Ha... very funny."

"Out of bed," Severide instructed. "I promise that your insides won't fall out," he chuckled.

Casey carefully got out of bed.

"Time to strip," Severide smiled, "It's bath time." His grin remained plastered across his face at Casey's confusion. Severide helped him undress, there was nothing romantic about it as it exhausted Casey to stand up for such a long time, he found himself gripping tightly onto Severide shoulders by the time his boxers were slipped off.

He sat down on the chair that Severide had brought in from the dining room, although it was now covered in a couple of cushions and a towel.

"Take these." Severide handed him his antibiotics and painkillers.

"Romantic..." he scoffed.

"I thought so," Severide smiled. He disappeared into the ensuite and reappeared with a plastic basin, the water was steaming. "Tell me if this is too hot." Severide dipped the sponge into the water

"This is hot," he grinned, "When are you getting undressed?"

"You're like an adorable puppy dog when you're having three lots of painkillers a day," Severide noted.

Casey opened his eyes and saw Severide cleaning up around him. "I fell asleep?"

"Yup," Severide replied succinctly.

"You're still dressed..." he murmured.

"This was about you not me," Severide explained, he didn't want Casey to think he'd been disappointed.

Casey slowly brought a hand up to his hair, it felt lighter, cleaner. "You washed my hair," he stated when he brushed the tips of his fingers through his wet hair.

"Yup," Severide smiled, "And now I'm going to help you back to bed."

The next morning Casey got out of bed for the first time since he'd been discharged from the hospital, Severide was making breakfast when he entered the kitchen, he sat down immediately though, he barely had any energy at all. "Mmm... bacon, you think it would taste just as good in a blender?" he joked tiredly.

"Sorry, I was hoping to have it before you woke up," Severide replied. "You can have some in a couple of days though," he smiled, "But for now, here you go."

Casey took the Ensure carton from Severide's outstretched hand, "Yummy."

Severide woke up the next morning and quietly dressed for work, he didn't want to wake Casey but he was already waking by the time Severide had eaten breakfast. He placed a fresh glass of water by Casey's side so he could take his medication.

"Can I ask you something?" Casey sat up in bed. He put his back against the headboard and the let the bed cover fall to his hips, revealing the large white gauze that covered the incision site.

"This sounds serious," Severide grinned.

"I was just wondering, maybe, erm…" he began, more nervous than he'd expected. He'd been wanting to ask him for a while, he was going to ask him the night he asked him to come over, but of course falling through nearly two-storeys and impaling himself on a stake of wood had stopped their date night.

"What?" he smiled.

"Well, I own this house, I don't have a mortgage, I just pay for bills," Casey explained, "And you, well, you pay hundreds a month for that apartment of yours so I was… Do you want to move in with me?"

Severide was lost for words.

"Kel?" he hadn't expected hesitation, he'd not prepared for unsureness.

"I… it's a lot think about, Case, I don't know," Severide replied eventually.

"You don't know?" he may as well have said no in Casey's mind.

He sighed, he really needed to get to work. "Can we talk about this another time?"

"Yeah, sure, of course, whatever you want," he replied. Severide leaned over the bed, took his hand gently and kissed him lightly. Casey remained still and said nothing as Severide left, informing him that he'd call him later.


	4. Free Rent

Casey heard his front door close as Severide left, he sighed, he wished he had the energy to get up and punch a hole in the plaster, slamming his fist down onto his pillow had to suffice.

"I shouldn't have done that..." he muttered to himself.

He and Severide had a good thing going, a perfect thing going and Casey knew from the start that Severide wasn't great a commitment but everything was going so well between them, asking him to move in seemed to be the next logical step. His stomach was twisting in great angry knots, petrified he'd just ruined everything, he grabbed his phone from the bedside table and stared at the screen for a while, Severide wouldn't even be at the firehouse yet, he shouldn't call him so soon, he'd give him some space, no matter how much he wanted to dial his number and tell him that it doesn't matter what his reply had been. But it did matter, Casey's heart had dropped when Severide hesitated, and when he eventually replied it felt like the room had caved in around him.

Questions were whirling full throttle around his head, did Severide love him? They didn't proclaim their love for each other like couples did in movies but he didn't think there was a need for that. If he loved him then why did he hesitate? Casey took things seriously, more seriously than Severide; did Severide not take their relationship seriously? Would they not be together forever? Was it just a fling? Casey had honestly thought Severide was going to say yes, otherwise he would have never asked the question in the first place.

There was a sharp pain in his side, a reminder to take the medication that Severide had left by the fresh glass of water. He swallowed them down before carefully getting out of bed, he felt incredibly weak, his doctor had said it would be at least four weeks before he would be back at work and even then it would only be light duty. And since he could only do light exercise for the time being he wouldn't be able to take on any construction jobs for a while either. The thought of doing very little for at least a month only added to the misery he already felt.

At the firehouse Severide was sitting in his quarters, he was writing up a call from his last shift when Shay strolled by and popped her head round the door. "How's Casey?"

"He's fine," he replied quickly without even looking up.

There was something very wrong about the way Severide was sat hunched over his desk, avoiding her eye contact, she could read him too well. He knew this, so he'd look away when he wanted to hide his feelings, but of course she knew that meant something too. "What's up?"

"Nothing, Casey's fine," he stated.

"And…" she began.

"And I'm fine too," he replied but his tone indicated otherwise.

"Clearly," she deadpanned.

Severide sat up and took a deep breath. "It's private."

Shay frowned and tried her best to accept his response. "Ok, well, if I can do anything let me know."

"You can't do anything." – You can't do anything because you didn't see the look in Casey's eyes when I left him this morning – but those words never left his mouth.

"Fine, don't talk to me, but you better talk to Casey if the two of you aren't fine," she advised before leaving him to brood.

After having breakfast, although Casey wouldn't usually call a carton of Ensure and a small amount of scrambled eggs breakfast, he positioned himself on the couch to help comfort the pains he felt in his left side. The pain relief worked to an extent but the discomfort still lingered, he swore the pills had worked better the previous day but he had spent most of his time asleep. He glanced at his phone; Severide hadn't called.

Shay had just returned from dropping someone off at the hospital. She jumped out the ambulance and strolled across the apparatus floor, she stopped when she saw Severide sitting at the squad table, his crew were playing with a pack of cards but Severide wasn't at all engaged, he kept glancing at his phone and swiping the screen as if he were about to make a call.

She took him aside. "If something's happened between you two it's probably a good idea to talk about it," she edged. She knew Casey and Severide were as stubborn as each other, if they were at odds they wouldn't discuss it until it boiled over into an argument, they weren't good at talking. Andy's death had torn them apart, they had bypassed the talking phase and gone straight to anger, blame and yelling, but eventually they grew closer, they realised what they were missing, realised what they'd had before, and became much closer.

"Nothing's happened," he replied.

"It's not the end of the world if you've had an argument. You guys have been going out for what? A year?" she questioned.

"Exactly a year next week," he responded, he'd made plans weeks ago for their first anniversary.

"It's really been that long? It's gone quickly," she noted. "People have arguments all the time, it doesn't mean it's the end of a relationship." She didn't know what had caused Severide's mood, but the fact that Shay hadn't noticed him call Casey to check up on him and how he'd been glancing at his phone throughout the day seemed to indicate some sort of argument had gone on between the two of them. She was surprised at what Severide said next.

Severide sighed. "Matt asked me to move in with him this morning."

"Really?" Shay beamed. "Wait… You shouldn't be in such a…"

"I hesitated, I hesitated when he asked me," he shook his head, "You should have seen his face..."

"He does do a very good lost puppy dog expression… you both do…" she chuckled a little, "Did you say no?"

"I might as well have," he shrugged.

After a moment Shay said, "You want some advice?"

"From you? We're both equally terrible at commitment," he scoffed.

"Very true," she replied. "Call him."

"And say what?" he questioned dismally.

"You made a mistake, you…" she began.

He thought for a moment before replying, "I don't know if I did make a mistake."

"Do you want to end it with him?" she asked.

He replied immediately. "No, God, no…"

"Then what's the problem?"  
  
But Severide just shrugged in response.  
  
"Well, you better figure it out 'cause I love you both and you can't just leave him hanging."

Casey slept on and _off_ throughout the day, the pain he felt never diminished entirely and he'd received no call or message from Severide. He replayed that morning's scene in his head; Severide had definitely said that he would call. He was probably just busy, Casey surmised.

He got Severide's voicemail when he finally decided to call him. "Hey, you're probably busy right now but I just wanted to say that you should just forget about this morning, forget what I asked, it doesn't matter. Anyway… erm… well, that's all really. I guess I'll see you tomorrow, we can… erm… I can't really do much… we can sit on the couch all day 'cause apparently that's all I'm good at doing… damnit…" He deleted the message and dropped the phone down on the couch.

Later on Casey woke up to the sound of his phone ringing. He moved to grab it and winced in pain, even though he barely had to move to reach it but he smiled a little when he saw the caller ID. "Kelly," he answered.

 _"Hey, sorry I didn't manage to call earlier, it's been hectic here,"_ Severide spoke, _"How are you doing today? You manage to eat and everything?"_

"I'm good, everything's fine," he replied, it wasn't entirely a lie, he was good but he was also in pain. The doctor had said there would be pain for a few days and to just take the painkillers when he need so he would feel comfortable. However, he'd now taken the maximum dosage and wouldn't be able to have any more for several hours and he was incredibly sore and tender. The medication also made him feel incredibly nauseous and he'd lost his appetite.

 _"Are you sure? You sound…"_ – You sound like you're in pain – he wanted to say but he never got the chance.

"Look, I don't know if you were planning on coming over tomorrow but I've slept most of today, and I'm still exhausted so I'm sure sleeping will be the only thing on my agenda tomorrow. There's really not much point in being here with me," Casey explained. He was distancing himself after the events that took place that morning, of course he wanted Severide with him even if he were sleeping but he didn't want to need anyone, especially if everything was going to fall apart soon.

 _"I'm coming over,"_ Severide insisted.

"Don't," he said before Severide even finished the sentence.

" _What?"_ Severide questioned, he'd not been expecting that but then again he probably should have after their conversation that morning.

"Don't come over, I feel like crap, I look like crap and I really just want to be on my own," he explained.

 _"Matt… if this is about this morning…"_ Severide began.

"It's not, you don't need to explain anything," he replied.

Severide sighed audibly down the phone. _"Ok, well, if you change your mind call me."_

Casey didn't change his mind and he didn't call him. Overnight he threw up the meagre contents of his stomach, it was agony as he bent over the toilet bowl, one arm steadying him and the other wrapped tightly around his abdomen.

Shay found him the next day trembling in pain, half asleep and feverish on his bed. She'd only popped by because she'd been to the grocery store a couple of blocks away from his house, she'd wanted to drop off some DVDs to try and stave off the boredom she was sure he felt. She'd let herself with a spare key in when he didn't answer the door.

"Matt..." She dropped to her knees by his bed. "Where does it hurt?" she asked, quickly stepping into paramedic mode.

"Everywhere..." he muttered.

"How long?" she questioned.

"I don't know..." he replied barely coherently. "I'm ok, he said it would hurt."  
  
She wanted to admonish him for not calling anyone, for not letting on that he was in much more pain than he admitted but she couldn't. "He didn't mean this much." She tried to lift up his shirt to check the incision line and examine his abdomen but he wouldn't lie flat for her, it hurt too much. "Matt, hun, I need you to move your arm, I need to see what's wrong."

Reluctantly Casey unwrapped his arm from around his belly, the constant pain made him want to curl up, he couldn't relax when Shay asked him too, and when she asked him further questions he stopped replying, he just wanted to the pain to stop. The next thing he knew he was being helped to his feet, he felt nauseous and even his back now hurt. Shay helped him into the passenger side of his truck, he gripped tightly around his stomach in an attempt to lessen the pain.

The journey felt like it lasted an age to Casey when it only took Shay twenty minutes to get him to the Emergency Room. Shay provided all the information they asked for, Casey was lost in a world of pain and fever.

Soon the pain lessened, they had used the ultrasound to get a picture of his abdomen and the narcotics had kicked into action. "Matt, can you hear now?" the ER doctor was looking down at him.

"Mmm..." he tried to acknowledge, he looked around and saw Shay standing by his side.

"You're in the hospital," the doctor explained as Casey's eyes wandered. "Your abdomen is infected, there's a mass near your kidney, an abscess; that's why you've been in so much pain. We're going to take you into the procedure room and drain it."

In less than an hour Casey was lying in the procedure room with a tube in his side, the effects of the narcotics were already wearing off but the pain wasn't nearly as bad as before. The doctor had inserted a drain into his abdomen and had put him on intravenous fluids and antibiotics. Casey was alone, Shay had just stepped out, he felt miserable and embarrassed that he hadn't noticed the infection.

"Sorry I missed your call, was in the gym," Severide explained when he called Shay back from the hands free in his car. "Are you ok?"

 _"I'm at Lakeshore with Casey,"_ she explained.

"What?" Severide nearly yelled down the phone. "What happened? Is he ok?"

 _"He'll be fine but he's here and he's alone right now,"_ she replied. It wasn't strictly true because she had been sitting with him until her phone rang.

"I'm already on my way." He had turned his car around the moment Shay had said Casey was in the hospital.

Shay met Severide in the Emergency Room waiting room. "Where is he? What happened?" he asked immediately.

"His abdomen's infected, there was an abscess," she explained.

He didn't know how good or how bad that was. "Is he ok?" he questioned

"He's going to be fine, it'll push back his recovery a little but other than that he'll be fine," she told him.

"I'm going to speak to his doctor," Severide stated about to head over to the ER desk.

"You better come and see Casey afterwards," she warned him as she walked passed him back to Casey's room.

"Everything ok?" Casey asked tiredly when Shay entered the room, she looked distressed.

"Yeah everything's fine, how are you feeling now?" she asked.

"Much better," he replied honestly.

Shay looked up at the monitor. "Your temperature's still high."

"The doctor said I can still go home later, I don't have to stay," he said.

"You're an idiot," she announced. Casey frowned about to say something but the door opened to reveal Severide. "You and Kelly are both idiots."

"What?" Severide questioned.

"You're an idiot for thinking that the pain was normal," she said to Casey before turning to Severide, "And you; you're an idiot for not rushing in here as soon as you arrived."

"Hey..." they both protested.

"I'm gonna leave you two to talk," Shay said before slipping out the room.

"Guess I want to start by saying I'm sorry," Severide began as he pulled a stool up to Casey's bedside and sat down. "You asked me an important question and I didn't give you an answer, well, I did give you an answer, an answer that I didn't think through, so I'm sorry."

"No," Casey slurred, "I am. I should have known, I did know. I shouldn't have pushed you. You don't do commitment…"

"Matt…" he started.

"No, listen, you don't do commitment, I know that, I knew that at the start but I still pushed you out of your comfort zone," he explained. "I just thought…" he hesitated, his voice quietened, "I just thought that maybe, that maybe I was different, maybe I meant something else to you, I thought…"

"You do!" Severide insisted, "You mean everything to me! I don't do commitment, that's true… or it was true, because I've been with you for a year now, and before we even made it official I…" He'd not told him before, perhaps he should of because he realised now that it would have meant something to Casey. "Before we even made it official after that first kiss I didn't sleep with anyone else, hell, I didn't even look at anyone else."

"I…" Casey was lost for words for a moment, he felt both surprised and comforted by the revelation. "I didn't know."

"I didn't tell you," he smiled, "I have a reputation ,I know, but it's… it's always been you."

"Then why…" Casey began.

"The idea of moving in with you scared me, and I'm not easily scared," Severide admitted, "It would make things very real, I want that, I do, but… but I couldn't help but think what if. What if one of us got hurt, what if one of us died and the other was left here alone in a place that we shared…"

"You didn't want to move in with me in case one of us died?" he frowned, there were tears gently trickling down his face but oddly he felt touched at the admission.

Severide shrugged. "To be fair, I had just brought you home from hospital where you had emergency surgery, my head was all over the place."

"You didn't want to move in with me in case I died because… you'd miss me?" he questioned because he knew how devastated he would be if anything ever happened to Severide

"A lot, I'd miss you a lot," Severide emphasised.

"Ok," he nodded in understanding.

"Ok?" Severide repeated.

"I'd miss you a lot if you died too, so let's promise not die anytime soon then you can move in with me," he spoke slowly, like there was a lot hanging on each of his words but then he worried he'd been too forceful, too demanding. "I mean, if you want to…"

"Of course I want to," Severide replied.

"Free rent," he smiled.

Severide scoffed. "Yeah, Case, I wanna to do it for all the money I could save."

"We were getting too emotional, too soppy for my liking," he grinned and his smile lit up the room in Severide's eyes.

"Ask me again," Severide stated suddenly.

"What?" his brow furrowed.

"Ask me again," Severide repeated. "Let's do it right."

"Oh," he mouthed in realisation. "Do you want to move in with me?"

"Yes, yes I do," Severide grinned, lighting up Casey's world.


End file.
